There aren't that many good comedy scripts. But every now and then one comes along, she says when TT meets her during the Cannes Film Festival.
One of these exceptions will premiere in cinemas in Sweden on August 21. “The Invite” is directed by Olivia Wilde. She and Seth Rogen play a couple who invite their neighbours (Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) to a couples' dinner, which soon gets out of control.
"When I read this, I thought it was so smart and so funny and with interesting characters. It's elegant and really, really funny. They say the audience laughs nonstop for two hours and that's something that's needed," she says.
Playing a singer
Cruz is visiting Cannes to talk about the drama "La bola negra", which will premiere in Sweden this autumn. It tells the story of three homosexual men during different time periods. Cruz has a small role - as a singer.
I heard about the project and spoke to the filmmakers and they said that a role here would be perfect for me but that they were embarrassed to send it to me because the role was so small.
I said, “Come on, I don’t make decisions based on how long my character is on screen.” So we met and I loved the role and I’m proud to be in the film.
Penélope Cruz has danced her entire life, but not sung as much.
So now I had to train a lot, for several months. It was a little scary, but it was fun.
Bardem as a demon director
Cruz's husband Javier Bardem is also in the spotlight at the Cannes Film Festival. He plays a demon director in "The Beloved."
I’ve met directors like that a few times, the kind who are mean and yell when they don’t like something. And then I decided right away to never work with them again. You don’t get better as an actor if someone treats you like crap.
At this year's Venice Film Festival, which begins on September 2, married couple Cruz and Bardem will star opposite each other in the thriller "Bunker." The film will premiere in Sweden after the New Year.
Occupation: Actor.
Age: 52 years.
Lives: In Madrid, Spain.
Family: Married to Spanish actor Javier Bardem. The couple has a son and a daughter.
Previous roles in selection: "Eat me", "The Lust of the Flesh", "All about my mother", "Vanilla sky", "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", "Broken Embraces", "In Love with Rome", "The Counsellor", "Everyone Knows", "Parallel Mothers", "My Fantastic Mother", "Official Competition", "The Bride".
Current: In "The Invite" which has a Swedish cinema premiere on August 21st.
